The Essence: At the Brink
by stakemenow
Summary: There's a new vamp in LA, and she knows our favorite bloodsuckers. Does she have something to do with the reason why the Slayer appears with her own problem? Will she kill the Slayer and her boys? Has Buffy finally harnessed every ounce of her powers?
1. The Fight, The Drink, The Girl

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

THE FIGHT, THE DRINK, THE GIRL (1.01.01)

The desert is dark. A girl is running down the dunes. She trips on her torn jeans and rolls the rest of the way down. For a few seconds she just lays there, in a heap. She gets up, groaning and brushing off the sand. As she starts to run again she finds herself surrounded by a huge group of people. She looks around at them and laughs when she senses the power of someone, someone familiar.

"You know, ducks, it's not easy to play the game when you're running like a scared little girl behind dear mummy's skirts." she proclaims to the crowd, in a painfully obvious British accent.

A voice shouts out from the din, "I'm not the one who was running"

The girl looks nervously in the direction it came from, "True enough. But at least you've seen my face. I've yet to rest eyes on yours"

"Don't waste you're breath"

"Breath's not all that precious to me, pet. Come now, show yourself like a good little spook."

"Patience, little one"

The girl lights a cigarette, grunting, "Patience was never my forte. Now, I've asked politely. And it's crossed my mind that you shouldn't make me... disagreeable."

"And if I don't?" 

"Then you die."

She drops her cigarette and a burst of fire shocks out from it in ripples, only to be immediately extinguished.

She laughs again. The people around her start backing away a little, in fear. They think she was insane. 

"Oh, this is really good! Nice one, ducks."

"You won't kill me."

"Fine," she shrugs, "Then I'll have to settle for killing them."

LA, 2004

(Last scene from Angel... then)

All hell breaks loose

Angel runs in and grabs a Ferhl demon by the head, ripping it off in the process. Spike approaches a Chaos demon. He punches it in the face, then dips down swinging at its legs. The demon falls to the ground, stunned. Gunn randomly swings his sword around, hoping to kill something bad. Even in blind panic he still manages to kill dozens of vamps. Illyria simply walks in, taking demons out left and right

They're going through, but they're losing their hold. Angel gets hit in the face, then the stomach. Spike gets smashed into a wall. A werewolf attacks Illyria, she slaps it on the head. An axe is buried in her side. In one smooth motion, she pulls it out and flings it right into the head of the once again charging werewolf. 

The girl is standing on the roof of a building, watching the fight. She's wearing a black mini skirt, a black tee-shirt, on top of a long sleeved white tee, with the word 'DOOMSDAY' written across the front, chucks (all-stars) that go all the way up her thighs, and black arm warmers. She wears a ring on every finger and a necklace with a guitar pick on it. Her hair falls down over her face. Heavy mascara and eyeliner along with clear lip-gloss is all the make-up that she wears.

Angel throws a stake at a vamp, it dusts.

The girl's face is covered with her hands. When she brings them back down her eyes glow red. "Discedo nobis (leave us)." she whispers. It's unusual for a witch's eyes to glow anything. They usually get black. But still, her spell works.

The demons stop fighting back. A sliver of light comes through the sky. All of the demons look up at it. Even though our heroes can see their screaming faces, the alley is deafeningly silent. As the light shines on them they're pulled through the tare in reality. The dragon pulled in last, letting out one last majestic roar.

"What the bloody hell...?" Spike mumbled to himself.

The girl smiled at herself and kisses two fingers, saluting them in farewell. Then she whispers, "Till next we meet. Promise it'll be fun." With that she runs off the opposite side of the building.

Angel turns to face his gang, " That was weird, right? I mean, I know this is LA and all, but that was beyond normal weird."

Illyria sniffs the air. As she follows a familiar scent, her eyes lock on the place where the girl had been only moments before. "I wonder why she left."

Spike looks at her, confused, "Who?"

Illyria looks at him, "A friend and an enemy."

Spike looks at Angel for clarity. Usually the Poof knew what Lady Luck was talking about. When his grandsire shrugs at him, Spike sighs. 'Bloody wanker'

"Better turn in then." Gunn says, attempting to stand.

"Where?" was the only thing Spike wants to know.

"Nobody's had a chance to cancel the payments for the hotel yet, right Gunn?" Angel inquires.

"Nope." Gunn wheezes out

Spike snorts, "Always something with you, innit?"

"It's a nice place!" Angel yells defensively.

"Yeah, sure. Of course it is."

They retreat from the alley, all four still very much alive.

The entire group is sitting around the reception area, talking. At least, Gunn is.

"Ok. So, Angel, I was finally able to convince Lorne to come back. With one condition. We have to let him use the first floor ballroom as a nightclub. Not kareoke, though. Looks like he's over that scene. He wants a regular band, and tryouts are in three weeks on Saturday."

Spike raises his hand mockingly before he addresses him, " What do we care?"

Gunn glares at him, "We have to be there to kill em' if they're evil."

"Oh, that."

For the first time in the meeting Angel actually listens, and weights in on, the discussion, "Lorne doesn't like your kind of music, Spike."

"Why not?" Spike shrugs, "It's music innit?"

"Because he's got taste."

"And you're sayin' I don't?"

"Yes!"

"Oh, what... like Barry Manillow?"

Gunn jumps in, "It's the truth of the thing that counts."

Spike throws his hands up in the air, "Bloody hell!! Don't you think for a single bleedin' second that I'm going to listen to some Maddona-lovin'-boyband sing some sodden song about their bloody love lives!!"

Angel grins mischievously, "They'll probably like Cher too."

"Oh! Come off it!"

"Too late, you already volunteered!"

Gunn crosses his arms trying, and failing, to suppress a laugh.

"What?" Angel asked him angrily.

Gunn laughed some more, gasping for air before he answered him, "You volunteered too"

Angel's mouth opened wide in shock, "ME! But I..."

Spike joined Gunn in laughing, "No buts Peaches, looks like we're both bound to it." He opened the fridge and stuck his head in. All the wanker had in his sodden fridge was blood, where was the manly stuff?

"I'm going to get a beer. A body want a bit?" Spike asked the others. Half the time they didn't understand his slang, but Angel usually got the gist of it all. "No, thanks." was his reply. Spike left the room shouting behind him, "Suit yourselves, mates."

With Spike gone Gunn could finally get down to business, " Angel, you know we can't do this without someone to do the research. And with Spike sticking around... I mean he's a good fighter, maybe better then you," Angel shifts uncomfortably, " but with the two of you guys always at odds... Well, you're both as good as MIA. That leaves me n'Illyria to do the fightin' thing."

Angel looks up at him, "I know. Maybe if we built a training room. Build our strength. That should help!"

"For a while, Angel. But what about the research part?"

"Maybe I can help you there." Both the young men looked to see Buffy standing in the doorway.


	2. The Ancients and the Halfbreeds

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

THE ANCIENTS AND THE HALFBREEDS (1.01.02)

Angel looks up and sees Buffy in the doorway. A smile spreads across his face as he goes to her and pulls her into a quick embrace. She smiles back and returns the hug. He pulls away saying, "Buffy." in a short hello. She returns the favor with, "Angel."

Angel leads Buffy over to a sofa, " You ok?" Buffy sits down wearily, but smiles up at him reassuringly, "Got a situation, thought I'd take your offer." She turns, addressing Gunn, " And as for the researchies, I brought some friends."

Willow and Xander come in, dropping their baggage right at the door. Xander whistles, "Wow, this place is nice." Willow elbows him jokingly, "I told you it was."

Angel looks back at Buffy a little concerned, "You brought Willow and Xander?" He looked back at them, then back at her, unsure what to say. "Giles is coming on Friday." Angel was relieved, her friends could be helpful, but a lot of the time they just annoyed him. When they weren't hating his guts, at least.

Willow looks at Buffy, a little hurt. "I'm good at the research thing!" she announces defensively.

"Of course you are Wil, it's just Giles has the Big Books. That tends to help with the research thing." Buffy assured Willow.

Angel and Gunn just sit there and stare at Xander. Xander catches on, " I can only offer moral support." thinking quickly he added, "Or standing support if you're unconscious." Gunn just raises an eyebrow 'Nobody laughs, nobody ever laughs.' Xander thought.

"Crack team you've assembled, Doc." Gunn grunts at Angel and Buffy.

Buffy, assuming her leadership position, ignores him, "I can brief you on it now, if you'd like." she turns back to Angel. Angel nods for everyone to sit, "Now's good." Buffy looks between Angle and Gunn.

"Is this all that's left?"

"Illyria's picking up the Chinese, and Spike's getting a beer" Gunn offered

Xander nearly jumps out of his seat. 'What the hell?' "Spike? Spike's dead." Spike walks into the room with his beer. He smacks Xander on the back of the head.

"Dead and still dead, nimrod. "Spike shifts his attention to Buffy," Hello, love."

'Well, at least his welcome is less... Angel-like' the back of Buffy's mind comments, but still... a warmer welcome would have been nice. "Spike, you were supposed to call and confirm my arrival time... and tell Angel I was coming."

Spike, trying to avoid the remark states, "Well, been a bit busy 'round here, love."

Buffy could almost laugh at how adorable he looks when he squirms. 'Angel looks cute when he does that too.' It was the same face, nose squished, forehead all wrinkly... human wrinkly, not vamping wrinkly. It also meant he was lying 'Like grandsire, like grandchile, I suppose' But still, "Uh-huh. What with?"

Spike unsquishes his face, "Standard vamps, a bit rowdy. No apocalypse yet, though."

Xander stands up to glare down at Buffy, looking betrayed. "You knew Spike is alive?" When Buffy nods Xander's face turns red and he bellows at her, " And you, what, kept it a secret so I wouldn't pummel him?"

"I'd like to see you try it, boy!" Spike shouts at him. Xander sits back down and Willow decides to take charge.

"Buffy, Xander has a point. Why didn't you tell us?" Willow is trying her best not to cry. Her best friend hadn't trusted her... again, and now she couldn't even look her in the face... again. 'What is it that makes Buffy hide Spike from us?' something deep inside her knows the answer, 'Because he's something she had all to herself that nobody else could touch. He was her secret hide-away when things got rough, he'd do what she asked without trying to decide what was best for her. Because he wasn't them' The three friends had been growing apart these past years, since Spike had died. Buffy had sunk into a deeper and deeper depression severing her ties with all of them. At least now she knows why she'd started reinitiating contact. She isn't so sure about Xander.

Buffy shrugs, "I thought Andrew would tell you. He was in the apartment when Angel and Spike came to Italy... I wasn't"

Buffy smiles at Angel. 'What's with that?' Willow thinks. She knew Buffy felt for Spike... but she also felt for Angel. She had done the same thing when Angel died as when Spike did. 'Oh, God! Is Spike an Angel substitute?" Willow isn't sure what to think anymore. 'I'll just ask Spike later.'

"So, this briefing time, then?" Spike asked Buffy.

Buffy nodded and looked at her feet when she started to talk. 'She hasn't done that since... ever!' Angel thinks jealously. The jealousy didn't end on his side. Spike had seen the look Buffy had given Angel. He knew what a first love was like... but there were other things then first loves...

BUFFY- I LOVE YOU

SPIKE- NO YOU DON'T, BUT THANKS FOR SAYIN' IT

...But back to the brief.

Buffy isn't sure where to start, so she takes a deep breath and does what she does best... talk. "You guys remember that spell that Wils did to call all the potentials into their calling?" She is answered by a chorus of "yeah"s. Another deep breath and, "Someone undid it"

Spike shifts, "Nobody should have been able to mess with that, it was goddess work."

Buffy shakes her head, "It's gone... the spell is gone."

Gunn asks, "Why", Angel asks, "How" but Spike hits the nail on the head, "What the bloody hell do you want us to do about it?"

When the room stars at him, he puts up his defenses, explaining, "That was a power boost that Red did. You want us to go up to the big nasty that did that and what? Hope it has a soul so it can feel guilty about killing us? I'm sorry, but I don't get the point!"

"Buffy has to protect the world, you don't understand anything about that. You just care about what Spike gets."

"The world will end one day, it's only a matter of time. She'll die too. But why go looking for something that'd kill her now? Do you even know if the person wants to end the Slayer line? Maybe they just want to restore balance. Maybe it's your precious Powers that Be, think of that?"

Willow just tries to ignore the fact that Spike was right, it was pretty hopeless.

"There's a way, there's always a way." Buffy whispers.

Willow continues to present the newfound information. "We looked into it, and there's only one being powerful enough to undo that spell. Well, without completely ending the world. To reverse the power of the siethe."

"What is it, Red." Spike asks her, admitting defeat.

"She," Willow corrected," is the Essence."

Willow puts a book down on the table. "Ok... Essence, essence, Ah here. The Essence... she wears the face of a young woman, but she goes back since...BEFORE the beginning of the world. Last of the Gods of the World. Cast out the demons. Oooo! Here's something cool, when the world is in peril so is she, until her protector saves her. Whomever writes these books should really.. well.. not."

Gunn chimes in, "Is there a picture?"

Willow points to the opposite page, "That one might be, there's no caption."

Angel looks at the picture, "No, she's a vampire. Dusted around 1879 in Italy."

Buffy doesn't want to ask, but it's her job, "How'd you know her."

Angel looks at her, surprised, she should know by now, "I sired her. Her name's Autum."

Xander squints at Angel, he still doesn't trust him, "How can we know for sure if she's dead?"

"I can vouch for that. I was there." Spike nearly whispers.

"I thought you lived in London." Buffy nearly whispers back.

Spike nods his head, "I did, I moved back after she died. We were friends. But I don't think she was a vampire."

Angle moves forwards, towards him, "Spike, I sired her less then a week after I died."

'That's good!' Xander thinks, "So, she's younger than you... not as strong?"

Spike and Angel look at each other then back at Xander, saying in unison, "She's strong." Spike stops after that, but Angel continues, "But don't worry about her, let's focus on the Essence."

Something occurs to Spike, it didn't before, but it does now, "How many died?" He directs the question directly at Buffy, knowing the boy would most likely hit him, and Red looks about ready to snuff it herself.

"What?" Buffy's very confused, how would he...

"Well, you and the humans have been fighting vamps off for over a decade. Even without the strength the girls could have still fought."

Once again... nail... head...hit... as preformed by William the Bloody

"But, what makes you think..."

"You wouldn't be here unless there was trouble. If people hadn't kicked it. How many? twenty, thirty percent?"

"A hundred" Buffy whispers

Angel desperately tries to follow the conversation," A hundred girls?"

Spike, however understands, "A hundred percent"

Buffy nods, swallowing slowly, "Except Faith, and me. We're the last ones."

"That means the line is ending?"

"It does."

"So, again I ask you. What do you want us to do about it, boss?"

Buffy smiles as she dares to look up again, "Beat her down. Crush her 'til there's nothing left to squeeze. End her, for eternity."


	3. The Witches' Bitches

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

THE WITCH'S BITCHES (1.01.03)

Gunn looks at Buffy, shocked, "You can't do that!"

"Why not?" Willow asks him.

Spike nods in understanding the remark, "You said it yourself, Red. 'the world is put in peril then so is she' or... something like that. If we killed her, we'd end the world. which would be a bad thing."

Buffy's head is killing her, ok, deep breaths, "For all we know she could be ending it now!" Even though she'd meant to stay calm, she'd yelled it at them. 'There goes all that meditation.' she thinks to herself.

Gunn once again tries to explain it to her, "But that'd be suicide."

Buffy's relieved, the world wouldn't end if she just..."That may be the idea" Xander tells them. Buffy sat there, watching the hope she had fall away.

Now it was Gunn's turn to be left in the dark. "What do you mean?"

Buffy stares at nothing, "Why would the one thing that created humanity hurt it unless she has a death-wish? Everyone has a death-wish." Spike grins. Buffy had to remember that came from him. When he had been talking to her about the other slayers he'd killed.

Willow continues her rant on the info she'd found, "Giles has some theories on it. He said he'd found some more files leftover from the Council."

"I did some inter-dimensional net-surfing, for more books and stuff." Xander offers.

Willow frowns, looking at her notes, "We found one newer piece of information. She's the strongest of any god from any dimension." 'Breathe, Buffy, Breathe' She doesn't like to think that someone could be stronger than Glory. She picks up the book Willow had left on the table and gasps, dropping the book.

Willow rushes over to her best-friend, "Buffy? What is it?"

Buffy gestures at the book, trying to breathe. "Buffy? She's not breathing! Xander!" Willow looks at him frantically, but he's already got it ready. Willow holds Buffy still while Xander stabs the serynge into her neck. Buffy can breathe again, and soon she stands up and goes over to the book.

"I know her, she's coming." Buffy tells them with a certainty.

Angel steps closer to her, "Who, Buffy?"

Buffy cocks her head at him and Spike. An unusual pose for the Slayer, she never cocked her head. When she speaks it's cold and distant, filled with venom.

"Your wife."

Buffy remembers not being able to breathe, she remembers the serynge. But now here she is, lying on the couch.

"You know who this is?" Willow asks her bluntly

Buffy looks at the picture, "Yes, I had a dream about her."

'We could do a tracer."

"The Mlovennachee is probably our best bet"

"Mloven Nachte? You mean him?" Gunn intervenes.

"A spell that was named for him."

"Willow! It's like a trance that guides you through your dreams."

"How do you know who he is?" Willow asks curiously.

Gunn shrugs, "He owes me money."

Illyria comes in, with the Chinese. Willow goes to hug her, thinking it's Fred. "Fred! You're blue, why are you blue? Why is she blue?"

Angel rolls his eyes, "Oh you know, possessed by an old one."

"I do not possess as a demon would"

"Right, you infect."

"I control. Kill out the unworthy"

"So did we, once upon a time, pet." Spike reminds her, "Don't see us getting perks for it, now do you?"

Illyria sneers at her 'pet', "Do not speak to me as if I'm below your station, half-breed!"

"Hi!" Buffy bounces right up to Illyria, hoping to slap the smart-ass out of her. "Illyria, pleased to meet you. Big fan of your work." The entire time she was speaking her voice was dripping in sarcasm.

Illyria sniffs the new girl, "Who is this?"

Buffy looks up at her, giving her best I'm-the-most-innocent-little-girl-in-the-world face, "Who? Me? I'm nobody. Really, not important at all."

Illyria smells the girl again. 'I swear, if she doesn't stop that then I'll personally tear off her fucking head. Bitch' Buffy's thinking helped to calm her down, helping her achieve the look of 'cool'."She reeks of the half-breeds."

Now that threw her off, just a little bit. "Thanks, I guess"

"Three of them. Why do they not kill you?"

"Oh, jeez, a small little girl like me?"

"They fear you."

"Now why would they do that? I had no idea! Maybe it has to do with that whole Slayer thing, you know that really tends to turn some people off." as Illyria backs away, Buffy grins, "Of course, depending on the person, that's not really a bad thing."

Illyria nods and sits. She accepts the Slayer, she does the job she was created for. Like her own self does.

Angel goes on as if the interruption had never even happened. 'I hate it when he does that!' Buffy wants to scream. "If the Slayer line dies out then..."

"We're all damned to repeat Doomsday 'til the sodden end of the bloody world." Spike growled. 'Now why can't Angel be more like him? Why can't they be, like, one person?' Buffy's thoughts are starting to catch-up with her. Spike and Angel get into an argument. Buffy's not really sure what about. But it was getting on her nerves.

Her eyes start to glow red as the fight gets louder and louder. Finally she just snaps, "STOP IT!" Angel goes flying to one end of the room, and Spike to the other.


	4. Death and Nightmares

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

DEATH AND NIGHTMARES (1.01.04)

Autum's still in the dunes. She's surrounded by a sea of mangled corpses. She goes over to a body of a man, and pulls her sword out of him. She walks towards the Voice. She sighs, disappointed in him.

"You should have warned them, sweets. People should always know what they're getting into, don't you agree?"

"They knew it. They thought I was embellishing."

"Well, screw that, then."

"What?" Voice smiles at her, enjoying her anger. "A waste of your talents."

"More like a waste of my time."

"Time isn't that precious to you."

"Doesn't mean I like to waste it, love." Autum digs around in her pocket. Finally she pulls out a bag of Skittles. She offers some to the man that had just tried to kill her. "Skittles?" stuffing as many in her mouth as she can.

"No thanks."

"Come off it, they're de-lec-ta-ble." She draws the word out as if savoring that too.

"Other things more so."

"Ah, but have you ever 'tasted the rainbow'" She grins at her humorless pun. Of course he wouldn't understand, having just teleported into the dimension. She throws the bag at him. He catches it... just as it explodes.

"BITCH!!" He screams at her.

"So what?" she laughs at his anger, "You think that's supposed to offend me? Hello!! You just tried to kill me, you should have known better."

"I'll get you for that."

"How sweet!" She mocks him, "Goodbye, ducks. Thanks for the welcoming party. Makes it worth the trip."

Voice yells out to her, poison filled hatred in his every word, "Will it be worth the trip when you burn, witch?"

Autum whips back to face him, "Like you're so pure? Get a handle on it, pet."

Voice raises his arms, ready to begin casting his spell. "Subvenio phasmatis. Rego mihi contineo ventulus. Acerbus unus, transporto vestrum amicas gero caelum fons noctis. Tribuo mihi salus me. Contego mihi secrus…" Autum throws a ball of fire at him, eyes red. But Voice tries to continue on, ". Contego mihi secrus mei inimicus atiqui addo mihi vires quatenus… AHHH! (English version Come to me Spirits. Guide me and bring peril on the winds. Oh, Dark Ones, send your minions on cloud of night. Allow me to save myself. Protect me from…Protect me from my enemy, and give me the strength to…)" He gets hit again.

Autum advances on him, continuously throwing fire at him. Shrill shrieks fill the air. Autum turns, trying to see where they came from. A massive amount of gargoyles are flying right at her. She takes her stance, throwing her fire at them. The ones she hits crumble, and fall to the earth. Autum holds the arms out, raising her palms and face to the sky. Lightening strikes her with full force. She channels the extra energy at her targets. There's one left, and her built up energy is almost gone. What with the whole, lightening passing through her. She lets out one word..."Comburo (Burn)." The gargoyle catches on fire, screams, writhes, and falls apart. It's wing flies off and hits Autum in the head. She passes out, and Voice drags her away

Buffy's lying in her bed, asleep at night. She wakes up and walks over to her mirror. She stares at her reflection. In a flash of lightening, Autum's standing by the bed in a black nightgown. She walks towards Buffy. Lightening flashes, Autum's gone. Buffy turns

Buffy wakes up in bed, still night. Autum stands at her mirror. Buffy gets up and goes over to the woman.

"It's awful' bothersome, innit." Autum asks her, sadly.

"What is?"

"Trying to find me."

"Where are you?"

"Lost, lost always so lost."

"Where did you get lost?"

"Doesn't matter, doesn't care. Too much. TOO MUCH!" Autum is edging on hysterics by now.

"Who? Who doesn't care?"

Autum turns to face Buffy, a knife sticking out of her chest. "Everyone." she tells the Slayer coldly.

Buffy isn't sure what to think, her senses are going off the wall, "What are you?"

Autum leans in as if to tell a secret. "Look, look. You can stop it." She's getting very excited over something the Slayer doesn't understand, "You know, you can make it all stop, tell me how."

"I don't know"

At hearing this, a piece of Autum's sanity is torn away, "Please! Please tell me how." Buffy has no idea what to do with the sobbing woman before her.

"I-I can't"

Autum stops crying and stares at Buffy. Now unnervingly calm, she pulls the knife out of her heart, "You want help." She starts circling Buffy like a predator.

"Yes."

"What do we get in return." Autum asks, balancing the knife on her finger, experimentally. Without Buffy having said a word, she nods. "Memories for you. Want to know them all. Done." She grabs Buffy and slams her into the wall. "Sorry, sorry." She apologizes, once again crying, "But you see, you wanted to know..." She slashes at Buffy with the knife.

Buffy wakes up in bed and goes to the door, still night. When she looks in she sees images passing in the hallway, like a river.

Autum laughing

Holy water

Crucifix

Autum drenched in blood

Dead men

Angel laying dead (human Angel)

A stake

Darla speaking

A necklace

Autum, eyes red

A pool of blood

First Slayer

Autum whispering, Buffy leans closer to hear what she says, "Abs quisnam neco(one who slays)…. Slayer."

Buffy wakes up, it's morning. Willow's frantically knocking on the door.

"Buffy? Are you up yet?"

"Yeah, Wils."

"Come down then. Xander made food, and there's gonna be a Scooby meeting after breakfast."

"Ok." Buffy rolls over and stares at her mirror. Maybe they should destroy it, just in case...


	5. Past Demons

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

PAST DEMONS (1.01.05)

Buffy's coming down the stairs. But she overhears the two of them talking about her.

"…her" Angel tells him in a low voice.

"No, I get it."

"We wouldn't want her to…"

"Never!"

They see Buffy on the stairs and push smiles back onto their faces..

"Buffy! 'Bout time you got up!" Angel says, all too cheerfully.

"Did you do that trance thing?" Spike asks her. Angel cuffs him. "Ouch, what he bloody hell was that for?"

Buffy ignores Angel, "Yeah, it worked, I think."

Spike shrugs, "Well, headlong into a Scooby meeting, then, shall we?"

"Great idea." Angel interrupts, grabbing Buffy and pulling her into his office with him.

Xander, unsure what else to do, just sits there. "So?" he asks Buffy.

"Well, that actually depends on something." Buffy answers him nervously. "Did I leave my room anytime last night?"

Willow pulls out her laptop, typing like a whiz. "Here we go, this'll take a sec." She frowns at the screen, "Whoa."

Xander doesn't like that tone, "Good whoa or bad whoa, Wil?"

All Willow can say is, "Whoa."

Gunn, "Lemme see." Gunn looks at the screen, then his eyes go wide, "Whoa."

"What is it?" Buffy asks them nervously, hoping she won't regret it.

"Look." Willow tells her, as she turns the computer for the rest of them to see."

Buffy's lying in her bed, and then she isn't. The room gets light, and Buffy reappears when Willow knocks on the door.

"That's definitely not good." Buffy gulps.

Gunn looks at them all, hoping this isn't the wrong time. "Guys, don't mean to be a pest. But if the Slayer's dreaming about this chick… then maybe we should try to find her."

Willow looks at Buffy, "Vgochneal?"

Buffy shakes her head, "Nchochtorl."

Willow nods, "Nchochtorl it is."

Buffy looks at Angel and Spike, "Do either of you have anything of hers?"

Spike nods, "I've got one thing up in my room. So long as nothin' happens to it." He goes up the stairs to get it.

Autum's chained to a stone wall in a cave that's only light is a fire pit. She's covered in thousands of cuts, all of them oozing blood down to her feet.

"What did you think?" Voice smirks at her, "That I'd just let you walk away?"

"Do you think that after this you'll be able to?" She growls at him.

"Temper, temper." He grins, "What makes you think you'll live to defy me?" He punches her into the wall. Her shoulders grind into the stone behind her, making her grit her teeth.

"You don't have it in you, you won't do it." She gasps towards him.

"Lies! Why won't you tell the truth?" he pleads with her.

Autum laughs, through the pain, "Sure, if that's what you want to believe."

Voice is infuriated. "Don't say that! Never say that!" he spits at her. Then he walks over and stabs her in the gut. She doesn't scream, but she does wince in pain. "You'll pay, the whole world will pay." He pulls the knife out of her, this time she does scream, as part of her guts falls out with it.

Autum chokes, spitting the blood out of her mouth. She hangs from the chains at her wrists, unable to stand for long. "What're you going to do? Kill me?" She pulls herself back up and grins.

"You, or your world."

"Go ahead. What good has it done me?"

"IT BROUGHT YOU ME! Never forget that."

"How could I forget a burden shoved on me for 30 years!?" Autum screams. The guards are confused, the girl can't be much older than 18.

"No, and you'll never forget watching your world fall to pieces."

She laughs, pulling on her chains to get closer to him, "Go ahead. Watching the end will give me the satisfaction of knowing that you went down with it. Bugger it all to sodden hell!"

"NO!" he howls, enraged.

Autum yanks one of her chains out of the wall. Voice grabs it, and pushes her face first into the wall, breaking her arm. "I was right in your name, you are a voice. And echo of something that could have been."

A guard interrupts them, "Sir?"

"What? Can't you see I'm having some quality bonding time here?"

"We can't find the ritual."

Voice is exasperated, they NEED that spell. "I'll find it. Carry on with the torture, boys. Don't worry about breaking it"

"Voice…" He looks at Autum, she smiled sweetly, "Duck"

As he steps out, an axe is swung at his head. He grabs it, and uses the momentum to drive it into the man, killing him. "Thanks for the tip, baby."

Autum grins mischievously, "Didn't mean him."

Spike sets an engraved wooden box on the table in front of Willow. Buffy looks at it, confused, "That's what you kept?" Spike just stares at it.

"Never figured out how to open it."

Xander pokes the box, "It's made of wood." 'That so didn't come out right. I'm not on Full House, or anything.'

"Way to go Captain Obvious." Buffy replies.

"I just mean, if this is what survived the fire, then…"

"There must be a protection spell." Willow finishes for him.

Buffy passes her hand over it, closing her eyes. There's a flash, then she's thrown across the room. "Can't break the spell that way." Buffy mumbles.

"Since when did you join the Wicca group." Spike asks her, trying to remain calm.

"You know when."

"Buffy's really good, Spike." Willow assures him.

"Better then you?"

"Well, yeah. She ranks higher then the leader of the coven does, the only known mlenghe. That's the highest level you can reach without being a deity or a god."

"Isn't that the same thing"

"A deity is a priest, not a god. They're bound to the will of that whom they serve."

Buffy intervenes, "Willow's the next best. Twelve levels behind me."

"So that's it then?"

"What's it?"

"You're just going to go on playing Russian Roulette until one day you find yourself dead!"

"I have it under complete control."

"The looks THEY are giving you right now say different, pet." Buffy looks at her friends, not believing them. "Slayers weren't meant for magics. One, there was maybe one. She had to be killed by her watcher because she went insane. As a Slayer, you're more connected to the world, you feel worse BECAUSE you have this power. And that Slayer was only a neltican." He ended softly.

"I don't make friends with vampire witches."

"No, you don't. But in all the years I knew her she never once tried to bite me or my own. I didn't even know what she was 'til Peaches told us so."

"How do you just, not know." Xander asks his friends.

Buffy's eyes grow as she realizes what Spike just said, "Because she died in 1879 in Italy."

"So what?"

Willow understands, she's surprised she didn't catch on earlier, "Spike wasn't sired until 1880, in London. He said he moved back after she died."

"She never bit any of us." Spike insists, "And then there's…"

"What Spike, there was what?" Buffy pressed.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Spike.."

"She can't be a vampire, she just… can't. She has a pulse, I can prove it."

"No you can't. Because either way, she's dead." Willow tells him. 'Poor guy, wonder what happened to him. Maybe… was it possible? Maybe the "wife" Buffy had talked about… was Autum. Angel sired her, but Spike feels this way… nobody was sure who she looked at. Maybe they had both been married to her… I mean, they've always had the same taste in women… so…'

"Not she's not." Buffy says, interrupting Willow's thoughts. She goes back to the box and repeats her earlier gesture. The box opens and she grins. "Let's see what she had to hide."


	6. Tough It Out

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

TOUGH IT OUT (1.01.06)

A man hits the ground in front of Autum. Looking at the man she says, "So my guess is you ducked."

Voice looks at her, pissed, "Your warning could have been more specific."

"What? And ruin all my fun? Wouldn't dream of it, pet."

"Either way, he's dead." He takes the man from the floor and throws him into the fire.

Autum pouts, "No fair. I wanted to try. You ruin all my games."

"Starting to sound a little crazy, aren't you?"

"It's fun to be crazy. Everything's fun when you act it."

"Whatever."

"Did you bring me lunch?"

"I only have a soda."

"Diet Coke?"

"Diet Pepsi."

"Oh… how long are you going to keep me here? Because orientation starts Monday, and I've got to get my stuff out of the apartment." Autum squirms

"Not much longer, just until we can be certain you're no longer a threat."

"You know I could leave if I wanted."

Voice sighs, "What do you want?"

"Nothing much."

"What is it."

"Iced tea, blackberry iced tea."

"What?"

"I've been very co-operative, haven't I! Did you think I wanted money? I have no use for money." she grunts at him.

"No! You cannot have tea!" He snapped.

Autum pouts, "Now I'm just getting cross with you."

"And nobody wants that…" he whispers under his breath.

"Go to Hell! And tell your mum I miss her"

"My mother's long dead. This you know."

"Still mean it, ducks." Voice strides over her and slaps her, leaving a bright red mark on her face. He smacks her again and again until her cheek starts bleeding. Angry, Autum turns to him, pulling on her chains. "Expedio (release)." she whispers. Her bonds get warm, which is all that happened.

Voice laughs at the pathetic girl. "Magic proof. You forgot." He laughs at her.

"No pet, you forgot."

"What could I possibly forget?"

"These chains only ward off modern magics."

"Latin isn't modern."

"It is compared to the old magics."

"Latin is the old magics."

"Clasmostomph clepomee." The chains slide easily off her wrists. "Hilopto mann balli." Her hands start to glow. "Frettrela mochellorch." She makes the form of a cross in the air, the flames staying in that shape. "Tichicom huboras." The cross spreads out into a complex form. "Jaham olduichee." The fire spurts as it writhes and spreads. "Amen." The makeshift net flies at Voice. He grabs the guard next to him and throws him in the net's path.

"You gain power from holy chants? What's next, a pig flying in circles over my head?"

"You should see me at a rock concert."

"Music, why?"

"Adds strength. Binds the words."

"I didn't know that."

"A lot you don't know, love." Autum throws a shock at him, "Try to work on that. Cretum (grow)." Roots grow out of the ground and wrap around Voice. As Autum leaves she snaps her fingers. Her coat flies to her.


	7. Bloodbath

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

BLOOD BATH (1.01.07)

Willow and Buffy are sitting in a circle of salt, palms up. Buffy stares straight ahead, "Find the path to ones once lost," Willow answers her with, "Spirit of spirits, show her face"

"Help to find the one we need,"

"Spirit of spirits, show her face." The air starts to shimmer, a mirror appears.

"Spirit of spirits show her face" Buffy finishes the spell. An image starts to appear, but the mirror shatters then disappears.

"Damn!" Willow exclaims, "That should have worked."

Xander, having watched them, stuffs his hand back into his bag of chips, "Maybe you forgot something."

"Or maybe Spike and Angel are right and she's dead." Buffy whispers.

Xander points at Buffy, "Or that." The phone rings and Buffy answers.

"Yeah?"

Spike's on the other end, "Found a place, looks suspicious. You want us to check it out?"

Angel leans into the phone at Spike's end, "We'll check it out."

"Where are you guys?"

"Desert. There's a village in a forest near here."

"There aren't any forests in the desert, Spike."

"You're telling me. Come down here and check it out yourself."

"You know I can't. Anyway, we have to try the spell again."

"Again? What, did the salt smudge?"

"The circle of salt protected the spell from the outside influence the other witch might enforce trying to prevent the spell."

"Then bring out the salt."

"Why? What did you find?"

Spike looks around him at the bodies, "A massacre."

AUTUM'S APARTMENT

Autum goes into the kitchen, grabbing a soda before she heads to the bathroom. She puts her drink down on the vanity table. She turns the knob on the tub, letting the hot water fill it. Autum strips down, leaving her cloths on the floor, and gets into the full tub, turning off the water. She hisses as she lowers herself in.

Spike's leaning over a body. "These people weren't fed off of." he commented to Angel.

"Why would she kill all these people?" Angel asked him.

"No idea. She always seemed so level headed."

Autum pulls the plug out of the tub. The red water drains, but a ring of red, obviously blood, is left on the surface. She grabs some gauze and tape, looking at the hole in her side.

Autum gets run through with a pole

Autum carefully wraps the wound. "A hell of a time for you to show up."

She turns to face Voice, who pleads with her, "Look, just stop being so mad at me. What did I do?"

"You left for 300 years!"

"I didn't mean to be gone that long, my hop was delayed!"

"I don't care if you lost your fucking boarding pass, you were off this dimension for 300 YEARS!!"

"I'm sorry!"

"LEAVE!"

"You can't have had many other serious relationships though."

"Three, in-fact."

"But there wasn't… Never mind. The point is, we need to work through this."

"No, we don't."

"I became immortal for you!"

"No! You're immortal because you're a coward." She stands her ground, "Now go!"

A door opens and slam's closed.

Autum's eyes get wider, "Go."

Voice pops out.

"I'll be out in a second, pet." She looks down at her wound. The blood had soaked through the bandages. "Damn."

Xander's watching the TV, looking for missing people reports, "I can't believe no one's missing! There should be at least 300 missing people!"

Buffy doesn't even bother looking up from the book she's reading, "Just keep looking."

Willow exits Angel's office. "Found a book." she tells Buffy, waving it in the air. She hands it to Buffy, who puts down her old book to look at this one.

Buffy rises from the couch, "That's her!" she exclaimed excitedly, "Autum was her common name, her human one…"

Buffy passes the book on to Willow, "Kind of like Spike and Angel, those aren't their real names. Her vamp name is… Hope."

"Ironic is always fun."

"The most common theory of her siredom is that Angel sired her in Ireland. There are other references to her being sired anytime since before the Crucifixion."

"Then Angel didn't sire her?"

"It's still the most common theory. She died-died in a storage shed, she and her husband had been living in in Venice."

Xander is puzzled, "But that doesn't make sense, what would a vampire want with a husband, and mingle with food?"

Buffy ignores him, "Vampires have ways of coming back. Wil, what was she like?"

"Pretty, young, and very cruel."

"What kind of cruel Wil?" Xander asks her.

"She mostly uses magic to get it done… and she doesn't feed from humans, apparently we're "beneath" her."

"Then how does she survive?" Buffy inquires.

"By draining other vampires 'til they're dust."

"Really, you can do that?" Xander asks excitedly.

"Apparently so."

"How else does she kill?" Buffy asks Willow

"Just the basics, beat them 'til they die… stick a thumbtack in their eyes, EWE!"

"What? What could be more 'ewe'?" Xander worries.

"One time she killed a guy by sticking pokers into his eyes and running an electric current through them. And she was either inspired by Angel, or he by her. The same Valentine's Day that Angel nailed the puppy to the door, she nailed the heart of a guy's wife on the door."

"So she's into torture. What's new?"

"That's it, she only did it for a little while. Then she goes to Venice, living like a human, and dies. Her 'dust' is held in a vat of holy water at the Venetian."

"Then why do I feel like she's watching me?" Buffy asks her friends.

"Maybe because I am, ducks." The Scoobies turn to see Autum standing before them


	8. Gotta Love That Chinese

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

GOTTA LOVE THAT CHINESE (1.01.08)

Buffy picks up a stake laying on the table and throws it at Autum. Autum catches it with a very Spike maneuver. Just like the one he'd used against the Slayer in New York. (Lies My Parents Told Me) Autum drops the stake, "Look at the little princess, throwing her sticks at us." Waving her finger at the Slayer, "Naughty."

Xander looks at the vamp, exasperated, "God! How many people did Angelous drive insane?!"

"As it happens, I'm not crazy. I just happen to be in a lot of pain." She steps closer to them. Xander fumbles with a cross behind him. Autum pats up and down her slender frame, "Any of you got a fag?" The looks she receives tell her that they clearly don't get British people, "No?" She checks her pockets again. Xander is still fumbling with getting the cross off the table without Autum noticing. She nods, pulling a cigarette out of her pocket, "There we go. Now how's 'bout a light?" Xander pulls the cross up, shoving it in front of her face. Autum shrug, "An interesting option. Thanks, mate." She puts her hand around the cross. When her hand goes up in flames, she lights her cigarette over it. "That's a bit better. I'm afraid I'm a bit hurt that you are all the welcoming committee."

"Why are you here?" Buffy asks her.

"Do you find yourself in a power position? I don't think so. Because, pet," she leans in to Buffy, who's floating a stake behind Autum's back "you may be a mlenghe," The stake flies at her, but she disappears and the stake goes into Buffy's should. Autum reappears as Buffy pulls the stake out of her shoulder, "But I, my dear little Slayer…"

"Are the thing nightmares dread? The biggest evil in history? Save your breath, I've heard it before."

Autum laughs, this Slayer amuses her, "No, no. Nightmares dread you above all else. I fear no one. EVERYTHING fears me." She leans into Buffy, making her point.

"So you're a big bad Vampire, maybe I like that." Buffy throws a punch at Autum's face. Autum catches the punch, and laughs.

"Try as you may… you still don't know the truth of it." She throws the Slayer at the reception desk. "We're the same, you and I."

Buffy gets up off the floor, taunting the vamp, "What's the same about us? The way we cut our hair? The way we fight?" She tries to kick Autum, but she moves to quickly and Autum grabs her in a choke hold.

"No, dear. The way we live our lives is the same. We've both proved that there's more than one life to live, and more than one reason to live it. Better yet, a reason to die."

Angel and Spike enter the hotel. Angel shakes his head in dismay, "We tried to track her, but…."

Spike interrupts him, seeing the Slayer in her death grip, "She's here."

Autum lets go of her hold on the Slayer, "Now we're getting down to business."

"Autum, just don't…" Angel tries to tell her, but she cuts him off.

"Did you think I came here for you two? No, love. I came for her. And I'm going to take her down with whatever it takes. Even if it means I have to kill you, ducks. Not your little pet, not your sweet dear. I'm on a mission…"

"What? The end of the world?" Spike asks her furiously.

"No, kitten. Good Lord, no… to save it, from people like you. I'm out for blood, kitten. And I will get it." Suddenly she's behind him, fangs in his throat. Spike screams as she starts to drain him. She shoves him into Angel, sending them both sprawling. "Try to stop me, sweets. I've already begun."

The power flickers off and on. Autum is nowhere to be seen.

Spike gets up off of Angel, "What the hell did she do that for?"

"I think you made her mad." Willow pointed out.

Xander gets incredibly disturbed… not that he wasn't already, "I waved a cross in her face and she didn't get mad! In fact she used it to light her cigarette when her hand caught on fire! Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but in all my years of doing this, nobody's ever done that."

"She had a lot of firsts." Spike informed him.

"Oh, yeah! Remember the heart on the door, Classic!!" Angel and Spike laughed over the old memories.

"What?" They demanded. "We're still vampires" a stake flies towards them, hitting a vase.

"And I'm still the Slayer." Buffy whispers threateningly.

"Point taken." Angel agrees.

"Hopefully not in the literal sense." Spike weighs in. They both start laughing again, Xander joins them. Willow pokes him in the stomach.

Xander quickly comes up with something to tell the pissed off Slayer, "I'm not laughing. I mean I was laughing, but… vase broke… funny… delayed reaction."

"Good." Buffy growls as she heads up the stairs.

"What's with her?" Spike wonders.

"Your girlfriend beat her, is nearly invincible, and oh yeah! Possibly has a history with the both of you. What may be getting to her even more is that she has no idea what kind."

"She doesn't want to know." Angel whispered.

"Maybe you should just tell her." Willow suggests.

"Trust me, Red, she doesn't want to know." Spike whispers, shaking his head.

When Autum gets home she goes to her bedroom. She strips off her shirt, then peels of the ruined bandages. She rewraps them, pulling her shirt back down over her head.

"I thought I heard something," her boyfriend said, entering her room.

"What're you doing here?"

"What's with the interrogation?"

"I've only asked you one question!"

"I missed you." He put his arms around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace.

"Sorry, love. Bad day at work."

"At the club?"

"Some drunk guy started throwing things."

"What kind of things?"

"Beer bottles, bar stools, Lenny… Well, I don't think Lenny minded much, he was totally pissed."

"I've got to go… you want me to bring back Chinese?"

"Sounds good."

"K, see you tonight."

"Connor? Don't get in any trouble, k?"

Connor turns and smiles, "Promise."


	9. Favors

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

FAVORS (1.01.09)

Autum steps into her closet. She stands there for a few seconds, then opens the door into a club. The bartender grins at her, "Hey Ayant! Get your ass over here!"

"What now Phil?"

"Boss is fucked, Bessy didn't show."

"Not again! Phil, you know I love you, but if I have to take over another stage show I'm going to personally remove your balls!"

"Dually noted."

"Thanks"

Autum enters a room filled with women in scandalous clothing. One of the women came over to Autum. "Ayant, Bessy didn't show!"

"I know, I know. I've got to call Janie and see if she can fill in."

"What if she can't?"

"Then I'll take over, k?" She smiles at the woman, then raises her voice to the crowd, "Twenty minutes 'til curtain, people!"

The manager comes out of a meeting and rushes over to Autum, "Ayant, you're covering for Bessy!"

"I'm checking with Janie first."

He comes back over to her and sighs, "I'll throw in a slot for your band tomorrow night and give you a, what an eighty percent pay raise this week?"

Autum grins and throws her arms around the man, "If you insist."

He pulls away, "I do… Jennifer! Costuming, costuming! These things look like they're painted on!"

"They're supposed to."

"No, they're supposed to look like they're falling off!"

"I'll do my best." She leaves as fast as possible.

"Ayant, fifteen minutes!" he snaps at her.

"Fifteen minutes, everyone!" Autum heads to a locker and tries to open it repeatedly. "The locker's stuck again!" she shouts around the corner. "RANDY!" A guy pokes his head out of a small corner room.

"What?"

"Bessy's locker is jammed again."

Connor stands in the lobby of the Hyperion, hoping someone would come to help him soon. Angel comes out of his office. "Dad!"

Angel looks at his son in astonishment, "Connor? What're you doing here?"

"I need your help."

"What with?"

"My girlfriend"

"Oh." Angel was really hoping that he wouldn't have to talk with Connor about stuff like this…

"I think she's in trouble." Angel quickly perks up, this he can deal with. Spike comes in from the kitchens holding a glass of blood.

"Hey, Jr."

"Um… hi"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Vampire hearing, continue."

"When she got home today she was all beat up."

Angel does a double take, "Home?"

"I went to see her. She goes off to college next week and we won't be able to see her."

"Oh," Angel nods, "good."

"I mean, I know what she does is rough, but she likes it, so…"

"What does she do?" Spike interrupts.

"She waits at a club, lots of drunks. She's there now."

"It's late, shouldn't she be getting ready for school?" Angel asks his son.

"She doesn't sleep much. I think something's going on there."

"Why?"

"She asked me to stop coming. And Bessy's been calling for her."

"Who's Bessy?"

"Her best friend, from the club."

"Is Bessy also a waitress?" Spike asks him.

"No, she's a stripper. I think Moon's been filling in for her."

"Your girlfriend's a stripper?!" Spike howls in amusement.

"No! Maybe." Connor admits.

"Your girlfriend's a bloody stripper!" Spike can't stop laughing.

"Her boss is a pain, and she called to say we've got a gig there Saturday."

"How'd she get it?"

"Wouldn't say." Connor blushes when he admits this. "Bessy's gone because she got beaten up buy some guy in an alley, who threatened Moon."

"And naturally you're worried." Connor nods at Spike's comment.

"So, will you help, or not?" Connor looks at them pleadingly.


	10. My Girlfriend, the Stripper

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

MY GIRLFRIEND, THE STRIPPER (1.01.10)

Buffy walks in with enough time to catch most of the conversation, "Send Spike on it." They look up at her, surprised they didn't hear or smell her. "He'll keep a low profile… at least he won't look out of place at a strip club."

Connor turns to Spike, "Don't get her mad, or she'll turn you… into a toad or something."

"She's a witch?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Buffy, I don't think…" Spike tries to tell her.

"Lucky you don't have to then." Buffy dismisses his concern. "Trail her tonight."

"Why not now?" Connor asks.

"Daylight, sun sets in twenty minutes, he can go then."

"I think I'll wait here 'til he leaves."

Angel shuffles through the mail, "Damn it! Gunn! Did we pay the bill?!"

"What for?!" Gunn's voice echoes though the lobby.

"Spike, you were supposed to pay the rent." Angel accuses him.

"I did!" Spike claims.

Spike and Angel go upstairs to talk to Gunn, leaving Buffy alone with Connor. Connor looks over her, "So… you're Buffy."

"And you're Connor."

"Dad talks about me?" he asks excitedly, so his dad wasn't completely ashamed of him!

"No," his eyes fall down, "Spike did. Angel still hasn't told me."

"Oh."

"Cordy called once, she talked about you… I think."

"Really?"

"You were still a baby then… so."

"Oh, of course."

"This is a little weird."

"Why?"

"You don't think this is weird? The awkward silence thing?"

Connor shrugs, "Happens a lot."

"Oh." Buffy crosses her arms as they slip into that 'awkward silence thing'.

Autum's walking down an alley when she sees a girl run around a corner. She looks up to the sky, "You couldn't wait for another day?"

The girl is huddled in a corner as a vamp glides over to her. "Please… Oh my God! Please no! Please…"

"Shut up!" the vamp screams at her, slapping her. He picks her up.

"Please, please…" He goes to bite her.

"Hey," Autum says, suddenly appearing at the entrance of the dead end alleyway.

"Get lost." the vamp sneered.

"Sorry, love. My mistake."

"Yeah, your mistake."

"Just thought maybe you'd let me feed. I'm ever so hungry." She walks over to him, brushing her hands over his shoulders.

"There's only one, not enough to share."

She grabs him, and drains him 'til he dusts. "Wasn't talking about sharing, ducks."

The girl comes over to her, "What'd you do?"

"Go, before I lose my patience."

"Thank you so…"

"GO!!" The girl runs as fast as she can.

A man comes out from behind a dumpster, clapping, "Clever."

"Who the bleedin' hell are you?"

"Mitch, got a message for you."

"Thanks, but I'm not in a message taking mood just now." She goes to leave, but finds herself surrounded by vamps.

"Your boy betrayed you."

"What?"

"He as good as turned you over to the Slayer."

"I can handle the Slayer."

"Not alone."

"Yes, alone. I've already faced her and the gang."

"Living ain't handling, babe."

"I've tasted the blood of hers. She's fairly stronger as a Wicca. But she doesn't even begin to rival my own power."

"We've got a gang that handles these back streets, join us."

"Where to?" She asks, grinning.

Connor's cell phone rings, "Yeah?"

"I'm afraid I'll be late tonight," Autum answered him, "Got held up on my way home."

"Home?"

"Got off early. Tomorrow's my last day there. But I'll see you tonight, ok?"

"Where are you?"

"Warehouse off of fifth and twenty-second."

"Vamps?"

"Nest, taking them out minus the leader."

"See you around one-ish."

"Bye, then, love." Autum hangs up.

"Who was that?" Mitch asks her.

"Boyfriend. So, this the crew you've got?"

"What did you say to him?"

"The truth."

"That you're joining the gang?"

"No, that I'm going to kill all of you… Lalathtach." All the vamps except for Mitch go up in flames.

"That's what you get from a bunch of vamps."

"Pretty good glamour though."

"I guess. So, what crew we gonna take down next?"

"There's a group just outside of LA. After that there's rebuilding Sunnydale."

"Sunnydale?"

"Old Hellmouth."

"Crater now?" Autum nods.

"Someone you knew?"

"Still know."

"They lived! Nobody's supposed to survive the Amulet of Amora."

"He was already dead."

"Still! What're your plans?"

"The Slayer was never supposed to destroy the Hellmouth. She was meant to protect it."

"Wait a sec. You tellin' me that you wanna put the Hellmouth back in Sunny-D?"

"Exactly."

"But, boss, that's crazy talk!"

"Crazy tends to work for me."

"Ok, but you really think we should get the kid in on this?"

"He's crucial, as is his father and the other. The Slayer is the one to worry about, though. If she doesn't turn, then neither will the rest." Autum sweeps out of the alley, Mitch following close behind.

"Boss? Where we goin'? Boss?"

"Moon's going home instead of working." Connor tells the team.

"Home? Where's home?" Spike asks.

"Apartment building on Dillington, 3D. It's the only complex past Washington."

"I should leave then."

"Stop at the warehouse first, it's off of fifth and twenty-second."

"Warehouse?" Angel asks his son.

"She found a vamp nest and took them out."

"Great! She's a fighter!" Spike says sarcastically, throwing his hands in the air.

Connor nods, "She's strong too. She's got magic, but she doesn't use it a lot. She prefers to fight."

"Strong and with the mojo. Like to fight and kills vamps for kicks. She sounds like a Slayer to me."

Buffy shakes her head, "I told you, they all died."

"Well maybe you missed one."

Connor shakes his head too, "No, she's not. She hates Slayers… well, the Council. She's read all the mythology and prophesies she can get her hands on. She found some stuff that proves the Council wrong. She wrote a term paper on how to kill a Slayer effectively once they've been vamped. And another one on how to wipe out the entire line without the evil factor becoming an issue."

"I don't think that discredits the Slayer possibility." Angel tells him.

"Her admissions essay was on how much easier life would be without the Slayer."

"What school is she going to?" Buffy asks him.

Connor shrugs, "She's majoring in Mythology, Demonology, and some other 'ology'."

"She's probably going to be a professor." Willow suggests.

"Or an Earthly ambassador to Hell. Sounds pleasant, no?" Buffy asks the room.

"So, what's my chance of survival?" Spike says, grabbing the boy's shoulder.

"She probably won't notice you if you're not trying to feed." Connor informs him, shrugging his hand off his shoulder.

"Lucky me then." Spike turns and goes to the entrance to leave.

"Spike!" Buffy calls out. When he turns she tosses a stake. "If Autum shows up…"

"Heart, got it." He leaves.

Buffy turns to Connor, "So, Connor. You any good with the research thing?"

"I'm better with the fighting thing."

"Hmm, me too."


	11. Old Friends, New Enemies

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

OLD FRIENDS, NEW ENEMIES (1.01.11)

Spike's standing on a rooftop looking down on the street the warehouse was supposed to be near. "How the Hell am I supposed to know who you are, pet?"

Autum walks out of an alley with Mitch

"Bingo." Spike spots a girl who is dressed in an outfit that is clearly meant to come off, "Who else but you, pet?"

Autum hands Mitch a wad of cash, his pay for the week, "This is all I've got. I can get you the other hundred next week."

"Ok, see yah then, boss." Mitch winks to her as he disappears in the crowd.

Spike sees the hand-off, "Naughty little girl, now aren't we?" He gracefully jumps off the roof and follows the girl.

Autum's phone rings, she flips it open, "Hello? Bessy? Bessy… calm down. What happened? Bessy? Bloody Hell!" She hangs up the phone and punches a pole.

Spike flinches when the pole dents.

Autum dials a number on her cell.

A phone rings in a dead woman's hand.

"Come on, come on!" Autum screams into the phone. She hangs up and runs over into an alley.

Spike follows her just in time to see her disappear up the fire escape. Once she reaches the top he follows.

Autum runs as fast and as hard as she can, praying that Bessy was fine.

Autum bursts into an apartment and sees someone's feet from on the other side of the bed. She runs around to kneel by the dead girl, her back to the window. "Bessy? Bessy?" She feels the girl's wrist and pulls the cell phone out of her hand. "Dear Lord."

Spike jumps down on the balcony and sees the girl leaning over a dead woman. He pulls out his cell phone.

The phone is ringing at the Hyperion, Buffy answers it, "Hello?"

"She's dead."

"Moon?"

"Bessy, the friend. She's dead and…" Autum turns around. For the first time Spike can see her face. "Bloody Hell."

Autum looks around the room. She sees a gun in the corner, "Oh God." She scrambles into the kitchen, "Sammy?! Sammy?!" She opens up closets and cupboards. In the cupboard under the sink she finds a small boy. "Sammy, come out of there." She pulls the boy up into a tight embrace. "It's ok. Everything's alright." She grabs the phone.

"Spike? Spike! Are you there?"

"I'm here… I've got to go." He hangs up

"Spike?" Buffy hangs up and sighs.

Spike stands on the balcony in shock as he watches Autum hang up the phone.

"See? Everything's just fine." She kisses the little boy's head.

Sammy looks up at her, "Where's Mommy? She said to be quiet and stay hidden."

"Mommy's ok, she was playing hide and seek and had to go on a holiday is all." She grins teary eyed at the boy in her arms.

"Oh, ok."

"So," she puts him on the ground, "hows about we go to my place, hmm?" She puts her hand out to Sammy in an offer, "Maybe Connor will come over soon and we can all play trains." Sammy takes her hand and smiles. "We just have to stay a while because I need to talk to the police when they come." She sees Spike through the window.

Spike stiffens when he sees Autum coming over to him with the boy in her arms. She opens the window and steps out onto the balcony with him.

"Hello, William."

"Hi, uh… how're you?"

"How long have you been watching?" She looks right into his eyes, still the same bright blue eyes. He grin sheepishly.

"Oh... I uh…"

"It's alright you know," she nods at him, "I'm fine."

"Right… good… that's good." Spike looks down.

"Sorry."

He looks up, "For what? Oh! The biting thing." He looks back down.

"No, the not telling you thing."

"Or the vamp thing, yeah?" He looks up at her again, hurt.

"I'm not a vampire, Spike." Spike flinches when he hears her use that name. She laughs, "I watch too, you know."

"So, Connor, he's…"

"Just temporary. He goes to Princeton… or Stanford, or something like that in a few weeks."

"And you?"

"Wouldn't you love to know?"

"So, kid?"

"Bessy's, but you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah. Hey there." He says to the kid.

"I'm Sammy. Is that William?" he asks, turning to Autum.

"Yes it is."

"Did you really fight with Slayers?"

"Yeah, I did."

"You killed two of them."

"Did, didn't I?"

"Was it fun? I hear Slayers can be a bitch."

"Sammy!" Autum exclaims in shock.

"Hope doesn't like me to use bad words."

"You should save it for when you're eight." Autum tells him.

"Hope?" Spike asks, looking right at her.

"Times change. But I still don't like to be found. I've learned well when to hide."

"Hiding would be good now. The Slayer's a tiny little thing, but she packs a wollop."

"Now is when I need to make my presence known."

"It's insanity!"

"May it were. Insanity inflicts us all, kitten. Some more than others, look at you."

"What the bloody hell do I have to do with any of this?"

"You've died for love, twice. If that's not slightly crazy, I don't know what is. You're a romantic, always will be. With your little box of poems. You're an idiot. You're an idiot because you believe in a perfect love. You're a gullible fool to believe you've found it. And more so thrice over."

Spike steps back, insulted, "I damn well won't let you…" Autum motions for him to stop talking.

"Kitten, don't fret. It's simply who you are. Now go home and dream of pretty things, like a good boy."

"I see pretty things when I sleep." Sammy informs them. Autum kisses his forehead.

"Yes you do," she agrees, "close your eyes, love. Let the stars whisper you their lullabies."

"I like the stars."

"I know you do. 'Til next time, kitten. Though I can't promise I won't kill you if you get in my way. Great to see you again, William." She jumps over the edge of the balcony with the boy. Spike looks over and can't see them anywhere.

"That's not good." He hears police sirens and leaves. Autum pulls herself and Sammy back up onto the balcony from beneath it. She rocks him as they wait for the police to arrive.


	12. The Preshow

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

THE PRESHOW (1.01.12)

Angel's on the phone ordering Chinese (can't you tell I love Chinese food?), "Yeah, hold the duck sauce. Uh-huh. And if you could throw in some extra egg rolls… yeah, be there." Spike comes in and heads right for the stairs. "Ok, bye. Spike? What're you doing here?"

"Hmm? Sorry?"

"You're supposed to be tracking Moon."

"She saw me. Going to go to that club later to make nice."

"When later?"

"Good, that's good."

"Are you ok?"

"Hmm? Sorry, zoned out again. Who was the ring for?"

"Chinese. Maybe you should have some blood. You look.." The phone rings, Angel answers, "Yeah? Oh, hi. No, I have to call you back, business. Soon. Bye." When he hangs up the phone, Spike's gone.

Spike goes into his room. He goes to his dresser and pulls out a metal box that had been resting next to Autum's old one. He sits down on his bed and opens the box. It's full of poems and letters that he'd written and received. "She knows me too well." He sifts through them and pulls out a picture of Autum in a 19th Century dress. "What are you doing here, pet?" He rummages some more and finds a letter. He smiles when he reads it, they puts his box aside and brought out Autum's box.

Buffy opens the box. There's nothing in it except a carving of a rose on the bottom of it.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Gunn yells.

"Maybe another spell." Xander proposes.

"There'd be a trace of it." Buffy says softly.

"I guess that means we're at odds ends. Whatever was there's gone." Spike admits in defeat.

"Maybe the first time we tried to open it… with the.." Willow waves her hands around trying to explain it.

"Yeah!" Xander agrees, "Self-destructed."

"Yeah!"

"Maybe." Buffy sighs.

Spike opens the box and rests his hand on the engraving, it begins to glow. Spike pulls his hand out of it, then cautiously touches it again.

"That's the last time I use a wooden cross!" Xander declares in anger.

"It wasn't your fault!" Willow Tells him.

"That was blessed by monks! AND soaked in holywater for a century. You can even use it as a stake! And now it's all burnt up."

Spike runs in with the box, "I know how to open it."

"Take off the lid?" Xander guesses.

"Watch." He touches the rose and it does that glowy thing. "The rose is an ancient symbol for protection. Especially in spells that go too far back to date! But the original meaning is 'to conceal' not 'to protect'." The rose dissipates as the false bottom burns to ash. At the bottom of the box is a key.

"What's that to?"

Voice looks at his minion, "So they found the key?"

"Yes, sir."

"Interesting, I didn't think she'd let them do that. Take it."

"Yes, sir."

"Buffy, maybe we should take a break." Willow sighed over to the Slayer.

"Yeah, Buff. There's got to be somewhere around here to party." Xander chimes in.

"Sunset." is the only reply they receive.

"Sunset?" Willow says, moving closer to Buffy, concerned.

"It's a club. A little demony, but not all… arg I'm going to rip your throat out. Humans go too."

"And how do you know this?" Xander asks Buffy in his macho-fatherly voice.

"I've kinda lived here twice."

A guy with brown hair down to his shoulders is pacing back and forth in a tiny room. Autum watches him pace for a while. "Would you chill out Sky? If you're not careful you'll turn into a lawyer or something."

"Sorry." Sky sits down.

"It's like you've never player a gig before!" She gets up and knocks on a door, "Ducks? You ready?"

Connor emerges from the door, "I guess." Mitch runs into the room hyperventilating. He looks a around the room, then panickingly looks at Autum.

"I can't find my drumsticks!" he squeaks.

"Search." Autum lets loose a spell. The drumsticks fly out from under the couch and smack Mitch in the head. Sky laughs.

"Very funny!"

"I wasn't exactly laughing, pet."

"I was." Sky tells them, raising his hand.

"We're on in five. What's our line-up?"

"Usual?" Connor asks.

"As we go? Wing it here tonight?" She looks at Connor, then smiles, "You're insane, and I love you for it." She kisses him and the manager pokes his head in.

"Ayant…"

"Got it, love."

"The girls'll dance. You gotta supervise the make-up"

"Black, black, and more black?"

"Don't forget the deal. You have to dance too."

"Don't blow your top off! I'm headed to wardrobe now!"

Spike's sitting at a table in the club, downing a beer. Autum runs out of the back with her hair piled up on her head and very gothic make-up on. Heavy eyeliner, creepy pale, dark lipstick, mucho mascara, the works. She's dressed in a trench coat. She immediately rushes up to the bartender.

"Phil, I need a drink."

"What did Dorkly do now?"

"DONLY is letting the band play tonight."

"Really? Great!"

"Eh, one condition. I have to give some bloke a lap dance onstage. There's this rich bugger from New York he wants me to 'convince' to 'donate' a whole bunch of money."

"Good luck." He picks up a beer bottle.

"And just look at this outfit!" She opens the trench coat and Phil drops the bottle, "Get a grip, mate!"

Spike turns and sees Phil handing her a beer, "Here's your beer."

"Thanks love." She turns and sees Spike, rushing over to him. "Spike, you came!"

"Seemed a pity not to." She throws her arms around him in a hug, then quickly pulls away.

"Kind of glad you did. Never seen the band before."

"Band?"

"It's tough to get local gigs when over half of you aren't human."

"Guess it would at that."

Autum looks around, "Well, kitten. I'd best be getting back. I'll look for you." She winks as she disappears behind door number one.

Phil sizes up the young man Ayant had been talking to. Over her time here, Phil had learned that she didn't always have the best taste in men. He saw it as his duty to protect her. "How do you know our Ayant?"

The young man looks at him confused, "You mean Autum?"

"Pretty well, then." Spike nods, "Lucky you."

"Pardon?"


	13. Opening Night

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

OPENING NIGHT (1.01.13)

Donly comes out onto the stage. "And now we have a special performance for you. One of the girls that works here's been putting in some extra hours, if you know what I mean," He leers at the crowd, "And if I want her to keep those hours I had one tiny thing I had to do. Trust me, after you see the show, you'll know why I'd do anything to keep tapping THAT ass. Put it together for Doomsday!"

The crowd cheered. Spike can't believe that ponce, making her sound like a cheap whore. Autum steps on to the stage in an all black leather miniskirt and bra, covered with a tiny fishnet top. Fishnet stockings and boots that crawled up her thighs. All of it black, devilish, all of it so… her. The band starts to play. Spike recognizes Jr. What the hell was he doing in a band? An outstanding guitar solo the kid preformed answered his question. The entire set they'll be playing is pretty hardcore. And Autum is singing like she's been doing it for a hundred years. Which she has, so, good for her!

Buffy, Willow and Xander walk into the club. "At least the music's good." Xander says, watching Autum on the stage, not recognizing her.

Willow checks her out too, "I wonder who," it hits her, "Oh!"

"Is this chick everywhere?" Buffy asks the Slayerettes.

"And now for the special portion of the show. Ayant here will pick any guy to come on stage and receive a free lap dance." The crowd roared.

Donly whispered in her ear, "The guy in the red suit is big money."

"Aye, at that, love." Autum puts her guitar down on the stage and jumps into the mob of people. She pushes her way through, and ends up at Spike's table, grinning wildly. "Come on, kitten."

"No, I can't…"

She pulls him up to his feet, "Yes, you can."

Xander sees who she's pulling up with her, "Is that?"

"Spike." Buffy growls.

Autum shoves Spike into a chair on the stage, picks up her guitar and motions for the boys to start playing. "Don't worry, kitten. I'll play nice." The stage explodes, sending Autum flying. "Should have known," she looks around at the room, "Come on, Slayer, give it a go."

"What was your first clue?" Buffy asks, stepping towards Autum carefully.

"What wasn't? You need to work on stealth."

"I don't need stealth."

"Yeah, you do. Take a look at kitten. He knows it, so does my little lamb. You should be wary, a Slayer needs it."

"Oh, sure. And how many have you known?"

"For me to know, ducks."

"So, you've known them, probably killed them."

"Spectacular! I should be going then. Can't wait for Dawn, you know." (side note: since she's saying this, they don't know she's not talking about the sunrise.) She laughs, "See you then, Slayer." She snaps her fingers. She and the band have disappeared. Buffy pulls Spike out of the wreck. He tries to speak, but she cuts him off.

"Shut up, Spike."


	14. The Big Bang

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

THE BIG BANG (1.01.14)

Buffy bursts into the Hyperion, shouting directions, "I need to know everything there is to know on this Autum. She also goes by Hope and Ayant. What?"

"Buffy, why is this such a big deal? Vamps haven't been a problem in ages. Why don't you just make with the staking action?" Willow tries to get Buffy to listen.

"Just do it."

Buffy walks into her room, Voice is sitting on her bed. "Oh, good. Because I haven't had enough demons to fill my day."

"If you want to get rid of that bitch, I'll help you."

"Personal vendetta no less. Peachy."

"Sarcasm doesn't become you, child. I'm here to make you a deal. We both want her gone, and I know more about her than you ever will."

"Not interested."

"She'll kill you… and she'll have no problem doing it."

"I'll kill her first."

"And you'll die AGAIN!"

"Get out before I kill you."

"You can't fight her. She knows you too well."

"She's a vampire, they always think they 'know' me."

"Have they ever been wrong?" He disappears.

"What did you find?" Buffy asks, checking up.

"A lot, and none good." Willow informs her.

"Where's Spike?"

"Tailing Moon again, why?"

"Did you know there was someone in my room?"

"What?! Buffy, are you…"

"I'm fine… he said I can't face her… that she knows me to well."

"Actually, he said I'd kill you if you faced me." Autum's standing in the lobby, "Hello, pet."

"Autum." Angel growls.

"Poor little lamb… I'm sorry, but she needs to know."

"Where's Spike?" Buffy asks her weakly.

"In his room, sulking."

"Ah! He said he was going to go." Angel mutters.

"I can call him if you'd like."

"What's with the formalities?" Buffy asks.

Autum strides over to Xander and Willow, "Do you think I'm being too formal? Hmm?"

"Get away from them."

Xander turns and looks behind him, "Who yah talking to? No one's there."

"Listen to what they have to say… lamb, Slayer, kitten."

"What the hell?" Spike wonders.

"Shhh," she points at Willow and Xander, "the humans make a fuss!"

"Not that bit again!" Spike bellows at her. She raises an eyebrow, grins, and brings a finger to her lips.

"Not a word, William."

Willow continues to spout her info, "Well, not much useful, she's just extremely evil."

"A regular Queen of the Damned." Xander tells her… not joking. Autum snakes her arms around Xander's neck, and starts to strangle him.

"Xander!"

"Get away from him, bitch!" Buffy screams at the vamp. She throws a spell at her. Autum raises a hand, holding it back.

"If that's the way you want to play, fine. We'll do it your way. Sorry, kitten." There's a flash, and Buffy's on her back.

They all rush to Buffy, except Spike, who goes back upstairs. Buffy gets up and runs after him. "Spike? Wait! Spike! Damn it!"

Spike turns into a hallway, Buffy still following him, "William!" Spike keeps walking, and goes into a room.

"He can't hear us. That's not the way it works, Slayer." Autum's standing right by Buffy.

"How does it work?" Autum jerks her head, and Buffy follows her to the balcony. Autum nods and points. Buffy sees herself laying on the ground.

"We have a few things to talk about, pet."

"Like what?"

"You prefer play-by-play, right? Follow me."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, you'll live like this forever."

Buffy goes into a pitch-black room. "Where are we?"

"Your brain. Here we're to fight it."

"Fight what?"

"Take a look." She walks away, "Come."

"Excuse me?"

"This way." Buffy follows the voice. She sees a light.

"This is my favorite, I think." An image is projected, memories and dreams.

Spike's burning, Buffy pulls him out to safety.

"Why are you?"

"Shhh. Next one."

"But I wanted to tell you that I did save you. Not when it counted, of course. But every night after that. Lots of different ways." Spike tells her, after she returns from the dead. But something changes… as if the memory's altered. "And now you know what it's like, don't you, Slayer? You'll never get over it, you'll live here forever."

"Again… look."

Doctors are gathering around someone, doing surgery. One of them goes over to a man who you can't see. "I'm sorry, but we're going t o lose her if she doesn't wake-up soon." The man nods and turns around.

"Giles." Buffy whispers. Tears run down her face silently.

He's talking to someone she can't see. "Call Angel. Tell him… she won't make it."

"And if she does?" Buffy hears Dawn's voice say.

"Dawn? Dawnie?"

Willow is fighting not to cry, "So, that's it? She's too far gone?"

"Even if she survives this… she'll die in the coma later." The doctor tells her and Xander.

"So she'll never wake up?" Xander asks him.

"But she has to.. I never got to say sorry… Xander, what if she doesn't know I'm sorry. I can't… she won't." Willow breaks down.

"No, this isn't happening."

"Don't you remember? You were thinking of him. That it was all going great. And now you're dying. And they are letting you."

"No." She starts crying again.

"It's up to you, Miss Summers." The doctor tells Dawn.

"Pull it. I cant' see her suffer, not again."

Buffy goes hysterical, "No, Dawnie, no, no! Dawnie, I'm here. I'm here! Don't go! Don't leave! DAWNIE! DON"T!" The room goes black again.

"Oh, poor little dear. Nobody loves her. What's wrong, Slayer? Did you forget? You wanted this. To live in your dreams forever. Sorry, pet, sometimes dreams are nightmares. And sometimes, Slayer… they're true…


	15. Welcome Back

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

WELCOME BACK (1.01.15)

Giles places his hand comfortingly on Dawn's shoulder, "You did the right thing, Dawn. She'd feel the same way." He pulls her into a hug, only to be pushed away.

"No she wouldn't." Dawn goes into the women's bathroom so he can't follow her.

Willow comes behind him, "You know, she's right."

"Yes, I do. But she still shouldn't feel guilty."

Everyone's gathered around Buffy. She's beaten badly and there are a bunch of machines around her. "Do it." Dawn tells the doctor, a tear falling from her face. He does, and the monitors go monotone.

Angel's on the phone. "What? No, ok… I'll be there, sure." He hangs up.

Spike nods to the phone, "What was that?"

"None of your business."

"Was it Buffy?"

"NO!"

"Liar."

"Spike! Just… go."

"What's wrong with her."

"Nothing, she," He knew it would crush Spike to hear the truth… but he deserved it. "She died."

Spike nods, "She tends to do that."

"She's dead… again."

"Guess third time's the charm."

"Don't make this a joke."

"Right. 'Cause that's not what we need." He looks up, "She'll be back."

"What makes you so sure?"

"She always comes back."

"No, she won't! She's gone! Get it through your head, Spike!" He'd expects the blonde to cry, but he just looks up defiantly.

"She will come for me."

"She doesn't know you're here!"

"She'll come, you'll see."

Buffy's in a sobbing heep. "Why did you do this?"

"I told you to wake up." Autum says matter of factly.

"And now I'm dead!"

"Check again, Slayer."

"What?"

"If you were dead, you wouldn't feel like this. Like you of all people would go to hell! Death is the absence of feeling. Despite what the Council may tell you. You haven't spoken to any of them in over a year. You ran away from Dawn, Xander, Willow, Giles, Angel. And now yourself. A Slayer doesn't run."

"No, a Slayer slays."

"Again, not my point. A Slayer fights. So, what? It's Death! You've beaten it before! You weren't meant for death.

They zip Buffy's body up in a bag. Dawn puts an arm out to stop them, "No, wait… I want to say goodbye."

"But, Miss…"

"Let her have a moment." Giles orders him. Everyone leaves except Dawn.

She turns and crosses her arms at the corpse. ""Well, Buffy, I guess you got your wish. You're dead, again. Congrats… really. Nobody cares at all. How could you do it? How could you leave? I don't mean die. That's a part of life… ironically, but still… I haven't heard from you in over a year. What did I do wrong?" Dawn stares at the body as if it would answer her. Her eyes well up.

Autum stares at the Slayer, "Go."

"But…"

" I will see you soon enough."

"Please," Dawn pleads, "Just tell me what I did wrong. I don't know what I did wrong. Just tell me! Please!" Dawn curls up on the ground, , crying, "What did I do?" She cries for a few minutes, then she crawls over to the body. She brushes the hair out of it's face. "Look at what's left for you." She whispers it. She sees a necklace around Buffy's neck, she pulls it out to look at. It's a simple silver chain with a railroad spike wrapped up in a rose. The blossom of the rose was shaped like an angel. 'Perfect… the two of them forever entwined.' Buffy grabs her wrist. Dawn jumps back and screams. Giles runs in and pulls Dawn behind him.

"Stay back! If she was turned…"

Buffy glares at him, "Get out!"

"Buffy?" Dawn whimpers.

"All of you." She shoves Dawn. "OUT!"

"No, Buffy." Giles says sternly. "Buffy, you've ignored us for too long. Listen and think rationally for once, you impertinent child! What did you see?"

Willow steps forward, confused, "See? Giles, she was dead."

"And she's back without cause or reason? I rather think not."

"Spike." Buffy whispers.

"You saw Spike?" Xander asks, confused.

"In heaven? That's an odd place to see Spike." Giles says, wiping his glasses.

"He's alive… with Angel. You didn't tell me."

Willow blushes, "It was for your own good!" Giles is shocked, they had kept it from him as well.

"All the Slayers are dead, except me and Faith… that's why you came. To prevent the end." She refuses to look any of them in the eye. She knew she'd see she was right. "Good riddance. I'm going to LA."

"Wolfram and Hart?"

"They're back at the Hyperion. Get all you can on the Essence, we'll need it. And also everything on a vamp. She goes by Autum, Ayant, Moon, and Hope. She's sired by Angel and she's dating his son. She's not afraid of fire, crosses, holy water, or me. Is that what you wanted to hear?" She finally looks up at Giles in anger.

"Anything else we need to know?" Dawn asks her.

"She's the one who sent me back."

"God, Buffy, are you sure?" Giles inquires, "And she has no connection to anyone else?"

"She almost gave Spike a lap dance… but that could have just been the regular Buffy part of it. She pushes past them to leave.

"Where you going?" Dawn asks.

"To pack, my flight leaves at three."


	16. The Landing

Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

LANDING (1.01.16)

Willow is in shock, "How can she know so much?"

Giles ignores the question, "Did you get in touch with the coven?"

"According to them she died 1879."

"That young and such a threat?"

"Dusted-died, not turned. They purified her ashes… they think."

"What do you mean, think?"

"Her house burnt down."

Xander interrupts, "Shouldn't Buffy be here for this?"

"You and Willow will be briefing her on the flight, I called in a favor." Giles assures them.

"What about me?" Dawn asks.

"You Andrew and I shall head down after school breaks. There's a special school there you can enroll in."

Andrew turns to Xander, "Ha! Pay up pastry man!"

Xander shells out fifty, "This is so not fair"

Buffy gets into a taxi, "Airport."

"If you say so." She stares blankly out the window. "Miss? Are you alright?'

"Yeah, I'm fine." She resumes staring out the window.

BUFFY- I love you.

SPIKE-No you don't. But thanks for saying it.

"Miss? We're here."

Buffy gets out and hands him a wad of cash, "Thanks, keep the change."

The last scene from Smashed

Buffy stares at an arrival board.

BUFFY TO ANGEL- but he is in my heart.

She's still staring

BUFFY-I love you

SPIKE- No you don't, but thanks for saying it.

SPIKE- You're a hell of a woman, you're the one Buffy.

BUFFY- I don't want to be the one.

An announcement comes over the PA, "Flight 97 now boarding." Buffy gets on the plane.

BUFFY- Can you just hold me?

Buffy's staring out the plane window.

BUFFY-I love you

SPIKE- No you don't, but thanks for saying it.

PA comes on, "Please fasten your seatbelts. We will be landing shortly."

The passengers are leaving the plane

SPIKE- Do you even like me?

BUFFY- Sometimes.

Buffy climbs into his room through the window

SPIKE- Were you there with me?

BUFFY- I was

"I am." She whispers as she lies down on the bed.

BUFFY- I love you.

SPIKE- No you don't, but thanks for saying it.

Spike comes in and sees the Slayer asleep on his bed. "I knew she'd come back for me." He grins and kisses her on the head. "Sleep tight, Slayer." He turns off the light and lies down next to her. Outside the window, Autum watches.

"Sleep when you can, kitten."


End file.
